World Health Organization raises swine flu pandemic threat level to 5

The World Health Organization in Geneva on Wednesday raised its pandemic alert to 5.

This is the second-highest level, warning of widespread human infection from the swine flu outbreak that originated in Mexico.

Dr. Margaret Chan, the U.N. agency’s director-general, said the decision to raise the alert on the 6-point scale indicated that all countries should “immediately” activate pandemic preparedness plans.

“This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharm industry and the business community that certain actions now should be taken with increased urgency and at an accelerated pace,” Chan said.

Swine Flu

With the new deaths in Mexico and the United States, swine flu threatens to be a pandemic where bird flu was not.

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that regularly cause outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans, however, human infections with swine flu do occur, and cases of human-to-human spread of swine flu viruses has been documented. See General Information about Swine Flu.

From December 2005 through February 2009, a total of 12 human infections with swine influenza were reported from 10 states in the United States. Since March 2009, a number of confirmed human cases of a new strain of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in the U.S. and internationally have been identified. An investigation into these cases is ongoing. For more information see Human Swine Flu Investigation.